Tattoo
by whitelaurel
Summary: A high school sort-of-AU, starring Envy and Ed. :D Mostly lighthearted romance, until tragic elements come to light -- Ed's dark past, and the dark future that is intended for Envy.
1. A Near Collision!

Edward hated talking on the phone.

"Hey, Granny... It's me. It's been a while, right?"

_Edward? You hate talking on the telephone, young man... (What in hell?)_

"Yeah, well, I guess this is a special circumstance. Al's doctor wants to transfer him to a hospital outside of Risembool, with facilities better suited to his... condition. Is it alright if I stay with you and Winry for a while??"

_... You know you're always welcome here, Edward. What about your schooling? The classes you're taking at Central are far more advanced than those offered in this city._

"I'm a genius, Granny," the statement that would otherwise have been proud and cocky was now a breathy, subdued chuckle. "It's in my brain, so I don't need a special school."

_When will you be here?_

"I don't know. I'll see you soon."

_(Those boys have been all wrong since their mother passed away. I hope that Edward is not beyond help, now that his brother is gone...)_

--

Risembool, the city of his youth.

He had watched a strip mall and an apartment complex grow into several highways, superstores and school districts, had watched a blank blue sky become obscured by silver-gray skyscrapers that's windows glittered in the sunset like an army of insane, depressing, beautiful, tiny spastic beacons.

When he, his mother, and his brother had moved to "The City," (before Risembool had become the next "City"), he had promised not to return.

Not until he earned his diploma at a vocational school for brilliant scientific minds, and studied thereafter in Europe, where his father had disappeared to.

He couldn't bear to look at the sprawling black asphalt bearing child's scars and squished weeds poking through. He wouldn't look at the laundry that fluttered from small balconies, or think about the "low end" part of town, where really old women lived with their cats and watched kids play tag in the communal lawn.

Ed sighed. It all flew beneath his tires, and he fantasized that he was leaving it all behind. But no. He was coming back. One and a half persons short of a family, approximately.

To earn his diploma at NFHS, a highly esteemed but nevertheless sub-par, public high school.

He glowered suddenly at the thought, his determination sparking again. _'I'll do anything to bring you back, so help me. This isn't going to stop us!'_

"Stop brooding, Ed." A feminine voice from his right side scolded. He turned a sharp glare on her, but she grinned cheekily in response. Turning his eyes back on the road, he 'harrumphed!' loudly, choosing not to dignify if with an answer.

"We didn't get much of a chance to talk last night, you know..." Winry tried again, her firm soprano voice softening to a songbird's chime. "You... You look really good, Ed."

She reached over and clapped her palm amiably to his bicep, the awkward gesture not as light as her words.

They had been friends since childhood, but had never exchanged somber words. They laughed and terrorized each other.

Actually, that was the sort of relationship Edward had with everybody he really loved, he mused. He grinned in response, shaking off his darkness.

"I've been training. In martial arts, too." He glanced at her with smouldering, liquid sun-bright eyes, one elbow resting idly on the window ledge, and she swallowed dryly. "I can do amazing things." He breathed, but instead of bragging, it sounded like he was about to let her in on an enormous secret.

She subconsciously leaned closer.

Suddenly, the raw shriek of straining rubber caused Winry to scream in horror and Ed to let out a wild string of curses.

"What the FUCK?!" There had been no collision, and the female blond slumped back in her seat, shaking and relieved.

The car before them had tinted windows, so Edward couldn't see the face of the driver as he unaffectedly put the sleek black sports car in reverse, adjusted his angle, and continued his path through the parking lot as if nothing had happened.

He knew it was a "he" because a woman would have been a shaking bundle of otherwise petrified nerves, (like badass Winry,) not a dick about it. A single second longer to react, and Winry would have been squished.

... Ed didn't generally slow down very much in parking lots, and at the speed the other driver was going, they obviously shared that philosophy.

A lavender-blue mini van tooted impatiently behind them -- So, with fiercely narrowed eyes and passionate fury highly evident on his features, Ed made a beeline for the culprit car, blatantly ignoring Winry's objections.

It was a lousy parking job, not perfect and straight like he usually aimed for, but Ed didn't care. He burst from the vehicle as soon as it ceased moving, and took a threatening step towards the abnormally-long-haired figure who was already turning in anticipation.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" He snarled, stalking forward a step like a feral animal.

Looking over the person poised before him, it took a minute for him to mentally confirm that it was, _indeed_, a male who had thoughtlessly (almost) plowed into his precious car and his personal mechanic (who happened also to be a childhood friend who might as well be his sister!)

He was taller than he initially appeared -- possibly a head and a half higher than Ed himself (though that was not uncommon for males of average height.)

His complexion was utterly unblemished; perfectly smooth, like a walking glamour, high-fashion model. And he was powdery pale -- which was possibly natural, since, from the wide expanse of bared skin, it seemed that it was a consistent shade.

Understated rivulets of muscle cast shadows on his abdomen. He was decked all in black: Denim black skinny jeans and super cushioned black skater shoes; a form-fitting wife beater (black, cut off right below the breast bone) -- and an unzipped, black leather jacket.

Neon green plastic squares patterned the belt that looped round his hips. It was the only accessory that juxtaposed the black; the rest of the job was left to Envy's white skin and light eyes. Long, slender fingers were stuffed casually in shallow pockets.

A piece of black fabric was circled several times around a head of thick, hazardously disorganized teal-black dreads (that dropped lazily _past_ his ass -- Was _that_ all-natural?, Edward wondered), and a downward pointed, crimson-outlined triangle adorned the front and center of it.

Clear purple eyes, like an un-obscured, late summer dusk, locked on his -- deep with playful confidence, haughtiness, insanity... And cruelty?

They were ringed with heavy black makeup (emerald mascara), which made them look huge, like a cartoon. An enormous grin split his glossed lips, revealing a mouthful of straight white teeth and a candy-red tongue.

"Do you like what you see, shorty?"

--

**AN:** I know high school AU (esp. with Envy and Ed, it seems xD ) are popular (dare I say, cliche?) But I guess this is just a for-fun project that I want to take on... :3 Get back into the hang of writing, and all that jazz. Also, I haven't seen a huge influx of EnvyxEd fanfiction, and that is my hands-down favorite pairing ever! I want to stimulate this ship! xD (Please tell me if you have any good recommendations! :D )

On a more related note, **I want you to know** that I'm drawing inspiration for Envy's appearance from **Tom **and** Bill Kaulitz **of **Tokio Hotel**! (Mainly Bill's face and body structure, plus a spin on Tom's hair! xD ) Please look at pictures, because... Well :D It's just EXACTLY how I want you to be picturing my version of Envy right now! xD (By the way :D The dreads idea actually came BEFORE Tom... :3 I'm brainstorming a cosplay for Yaoi Con '09, and dreads seemed like an original, workable, pretty-awesome-if-I-can-pull-it-off idea xD I still don't know if I have an Envy face... . I think Bill should cosplay Envy! XD )

**Please R & R! I think I'll try and post another chapter later tonight :3**

In celebration of my LAST DAY OF HIGH SCHOOL HELL YEAH 3


	2. A Blank Warm Day!

"Do you like what you see, shorty?"

Ed's hawk-yellow eyes shot back up to Envy's, defensive and angry. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He demanded, then -- his voice rising wildly, "And who the HELL are you calling short?!"

Winry was impressed by the abbreviated rant -- usually, his explosions left a crater. This time, he was taking a more dignified route.

It was actually kind of freaky...

She didn't have much time to contemplate the thought, because Ed had not waited for a response; he had lunged for the emerald-haired teenager, eyes slit like a raging bird of prey's and fists curled tightly.

She had missed Envy's taunting response: "You're not the first one to be absolutely smitten by me -- And, of course I'm talking about_you_, pipsqueak!"

--

An otherwise ordinary, crisp cool morning, broken by the sound of falling fists. A large crowd of people was finally attracting the attention of school authorities, who wondered for a moment, and then made their way over swiftly.

Edward, sporting a bruise on his cheek and a lot of dirt on his clothes, took another swing -- missed, and was swatted away with a sharp blow to the stomach. He curled in on himself, his eyes narrowed in determination mingling with pain, but was thrown backwards enough to crash into Envy's pretty black car and set off the alarm.

A feeling of distant satisfaction overtook him.

He looked up blearily, instinctively protecting his abused gut, and ran the back of his hand across his mouth. Envy stood triumphantly over him, dark ropes of hair tossed wildly in every direction.

If Ed was like unto a bird of prey, Envy was like unto... Maybe a very agile, flexible, powerful... Bendy and invincible bird of prey.

As his world went dark, he thought unhappily that he was never able to win.

Winry let out a shriek and finally escaped Lust's hold -- the name of the underdressed woman who had been in the car with Envy, and who had restrained her when she tried to rush to her friend's aid. As she dashed forward, the school's security arrived, and maybe that's why Lust had melted into the murmuring and dispersing audience.

--

He was in a hospital, he could tell.

It had that sick smell that made him dread going to meet Al on those weekly visits. He scrunched up his nose without consciously processing the movement, and tried to move. His body might have _screamed_ if it could speak Japanese. For now, it just sent distressed, strained jolts of severe, stubborn protest to his brain, and he collapsed back against the _sick_ smelling, chemical clean white sheets.

"Don't move too much, Edo." It took him a moment to place the voice -- which, even in a serious moment, managed to sound light, airy, teasing. He bolted upwards, despite his body's mind-numbing objection.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, horrified to find his voice hoarse, and not so much harsh as just... strained and tired. "Why are you calling me that?" He went by _Ed _and_ Edward_; nothing else, under any circumstances. Well, except when his brother used to call him "Brother" and his mother used to call him "Sweetheart," or "Baby."

Those were the _only_ exceptions.

Envy -- a slightly fuzzy image with wild green hair and white features, shrugged indelicately.

"We're both suspended from school. Only a week." He shifted, and the sound of swimming ice cubes could be heard. Ed's eyes wandered to the ice pack that Envy clutched to his shoulder. "You pack a strong punch... For a shorty." He chuckled, but it wasn't a malicious sound like Ed might have expected. It was halfway delighted, a little bit curious or affectionate or impressed or intrigued...

Ed flopped backwards, too tired to process all this shit.

"Well, you can leave. I don't want to look at you anymore. What's your name?" He shot out the question, looking at the kid he didn't know with narrowed eyes.

"Envy. It's my real name." He replied, grinning, meeting Edward's intimidating glare with cheeriness. "Would you like my address, and a detailed description of the layout of the place?"

Silky soft teasing. Completely detached, sort of like Envy was speaking with the accent of somebody who spent their life under a Mercury moon, under aquamarine blue clouds and hostile, exotic, rolling purple-black skies and churning oceans. Or maybe like Ed was drowning in his voice, pure fresh salt water pouring down his throat and waking him up in the morning. Shower water turning cool under his tongue.

"Don't call me shorty," he retorted groggily, turning his nose into a nest of summer sunshine locks. He noted absently that somebody had undone his hair. "My name is Edward. But I want you to call me Ed." He pointed out curtly; only people who really like to piss him off, or who were higher and more respectable than him, dared to call him that.

So maybe Envy qualified, but he didn't bother to think about it that way.

"Sure, Edo," An untouchable, confident look was paired with something slightly tender in Envy's purple irises.

--

"Why the _fuck_ are you _following me around_ and _pissing me off_ all the time?" Ed snarled, sparks twirling from the furnace of his eyes. "Go be suspended _by yourself._"

Envy snorted, not moving from his position where he leaned casually against the red brick wall. He was wearing blue denim today, and a tie-dye t-shirt that was way too baggy... And was thus yanked up high above his belly button and tied into an attention-grabbing, clumsy knot.

"You look more American hippie from the '70s today, than Emo style." Ed added, winking one eye open as he closed his lips around the red straw, and sucked the frigid, smooth beverage into his mouth.

"You've inspired me!" Envy provided immediately, pushing away from the wall and posing with a wild grin. His teeth were stained light blue from the icy confection he was consuming, too.

"Anyway, what fun would that be? It's so much fun to torture my favorite little chibi!" A vein popped above Ed's eye, and he continued to suckle quietly. The paper cup began to perspire, fat droplets of water bubbling up between his fingers.

Still, he restrained his knee-jerk response. It was just plain undignified to go off in such an unrestrained manner in front of a sworn enemy.

"Get the hell away from me," he concluded, standing abruptly (up on the curb instead of the street, to give himself an extra couple of inches), "You almost killed my friend, and then you messed with me."

He turned an intense glare on his nemesis. "Bastard."

Envy laughed it off easily, waving a hand as if to physically brush the tension from the air. Ed watched it swirl away and lift a few stray green leaves off the asphalt to dance before tumbling away into the atmosphere.

"I put you in the hospital." Envy retorted without reserve, looking down at the boy with a sly grin. "You're like a snarling pup who only has milk teeth."

Ed pounced at that, keeping a firm hold on his slush as he swung a first. Envy feigned like a solar wind, and his palm shot forward like a bullet -- striking Ed between the eyes and forcing him to stumble back a step. He _giggled_.

"I'll fight with you when you don't look like a recently returned war veteran, o'chibi." And with that, he took a deep drink from his outer-space colored drink.

The much shorter boy seemed to think about this for a moment, and then with a huff, spun away and began to depart.

"Where you going?"

"Home."

"Want company?"

"No."

"Aw..."

"How did you know where I was going today, anyway?"

"Coincidence." A _wide_ grin.

Ed spun around to face Envy, cocking his hip without thinking about it and placing a hand there. His cherry red lips looked pouty -- or swollen from kisses, both which turned Envy on. Tan skin was unveiled -- the boy who had not even seen the inside of the school before becoming suspended wore characteristic black leather pants and a dark tank top.

"Don't follow me." He demanded, watching wearily as the wild teen edged towards his motorcycle. (Apparently, he had an extreme fondness for 'pretty' vehicles. And his mother was rich, which, Envy had dutifully and offhandedly reported, "probably wasn't all acquired by legal means. As a matter of fact, she's probably an on-call hooker for the Yakuza. What other kind of woman would name her children after the deadly sins of Christianity?")

It was weird how much he felt that he knew about Envy. This was only the first day of their suspension, and Ed already had an account of all of the other's siblings. (Most of whom he despised and 'admired' -- ENVIED -- to some extent. But he managed to talk about all of them as if they were cherished characters of his favorite comic book, where even the bastardly villains deserved a proper introduction.)

"Don't worry, Edo --" Envy began a dutiful salute --

"And DON'T call me that." There was a threat in his voice, and he waved his half empty Styrofoam cup of melted slush as if to illustrate.

"Until next time!" He finished, his lashes meeting as he flashed a peace sign, then reached up to push his _sinfully enormous_ sunglasses (which had been perched halfway on the ever-present headband and halfway on the ever-voluminous piles of dark emerald twists) over his smoky lavender eyes.

"... Envy!" Ed paused only a moment before calling out fiercely, staring at his own reflection with a hard stare and plush ruby lips.

"Why aren't your parents punishing you for getting suspended?" He demanded -- If he didn't make it a demand, he would feel uncomfortable about trespassing. As it was, he shifted in slightest agitation.

Envy seemed unfazed.

"My _parent_," the word dropped like milky poison from those frosty blue lips -- Not even the mention of Greed had brought to life that tone, and Envy accentuated it by peeking meaningfully over the edge of his shades, "doesn't give a damn."

Before Envy could turn away feeling like a dramatic, multifaceted and enigmatic and accomplished bastard, Edward called out to the dread-locked student's retreating back:

"My parents aren't around to give a damn!" His voice hardly trembled, and he watched Envy's silhouette against the bright blue afternoon for a reaction. Envy turned his head back to glance over his shoulder, and a thin sliver of unreadable purple could be seen before the reflective black glass chased it away.

Then, all expression was lost to distance as Edward took a jerky step backwards, and Envy hopped leisurely onto his bicycle and zoomed off, but not before bending sensually, placing his cup of thoroughly melted blue slush on the sidewalk, and deliberately forgetting it there to dig around in his pocket for an elusive silver key.

Ed fled to Granny Pinako's house, his footfalls slapping hard against the glue-colored sidewalk.

--

**AN:** Welcome to Chapter Two! Thanks bunches for the support I've received so far! I won't address you in this note, since I'm aspiring to answer everybody individually from now on...! :D But I REALLY appreciate it! It's good to know that some people are enjoying this small project... :D (Even looking at the number of hits is encouraging, except that this story wasn't good enough to inspire a review or a favorite or an alert... ;o; Maybe I'm oversensitive! After all, I'm writing this for myself! :D I'm enjoying it! This new style is fun for me... :D Is it bad? I'm trying to sound less calculated, perfect, and academic... And more... Simple! :D Which style do you like? )

A small comment on the "Japanese" reference... I know that in FMA, they technically are in a fantasy world similar to a European country... :3 But in this story, I'm going to set it in Japan, and Edward was planning on studying in Europe after high school, because that's where his father went! Originally, it was going to be America because I feel that I should write in a setting I'm familiar with... :3 But Japan makes it feel more exotic and less expected! A little bit of an unnecessary twist, right? XD ... Especially considering their European names... Let's suspend disbelief for this story, huh?!

**Please R & R**, and have a truly wonderful day! :'D (I've been thinking: Maybe I should stop fantasizing about comic book characters and start living a Real Life! ;o; But I've had small accomplishments every day... So I'll be okay with indulging... It's fun! :D I think I would be fine to die tonight, knowing that I had done some practical things and exercised my imagination a little bit... :D Isn't that what life is about?! ... This is random! xD Please live life to its fullest, AND have a wonderful day!) I'll update soon! :D


	3. EXTRA: A Fire Requiem

Envy took a step backward when Ed's crown hit the black rocky asphalt, and the authorities rushed him.

They faltered when he turned purple, cat-slit eyes on them -- And only the most daring of the security guards seized one of his arms. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He announced easily, confidence thick in his voice. Except when he turned his gaze upon his former opponent, and he looked fleetingly remorseful.

"Unless you intend to take me to the office instead of the hospital." He added.

At that, the guard turned surprised eyes on him. "Are you injured?" A murmur went up in the crowd that still surrounded them, and an approaching siren could be heard.

Seeming to contemplate his answer, Envy grinned easily and shrugged off his jacket to reveal a swiftly darkening bruise. "The kid isn't too bad." Lust, who still ghosted at the edge of the immediate vicinity, lifted a delicate brow.

The guard sighed heavily (after he got over his shock), and nodded. A sharp glare settled on his eyes, though: "The principal will be contacting your parents. His, too. What's his name?" He gestured to Ed, who was being lifted onto a stretcher, flanked by a hysterical Winry. He seemed to know Envy's name, as he scribbled something down even as he was waiting for an answer.

Envy shrugged.

"Edward Elric." Winry sniffled, hearing their conversation, breaking away from Ed and coming closer as he was carried away. Then, surprising both Envy and the security guard, she threw herself at the emerald haired teenager, intending to give him a real reason to be driven off in the back of an ambulance.

The guard stiffened before he reacted, but Envy was more swift, grabbing hold of her fist with his one free hand before it was even close to its target.

"Be careful, girly." He warned in a sing-song voice -- not low and dangerous. Her eyes narrowed, because he wasn't easy to ruffle up. He felt completely at ease and un-threatened. "I've seen you in the halls, so you're not new like O'chibi. You know that I'm not afraid to fight a girl, or a girl who's smaller than me..."

Winry jerked away just as the guard made to forcefully loosen his grip. Envy grinned.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, my... injuries... require attention!" He sounded lighthearted and unaffected, breaking away from Winry and the guard before going towards the ambulance and climbing in without a backwards glance.

It drove away, the same way back over child scars in the blacktop and squished, spiky weeds.

Envy couldn't really fathom why he was coming to the hospital instead of going to school. It certainly wasn't because of that bruise on his shoulder. If he hadn't made a conscious effort to suspend his own eerie ability to heal with inhuman speed, all physical signs of the battle would have been completely disappeared by now.

He smiled as he leaned back in his seat next to a suited paramedic. This was the first fight in his past three years (and now one day) at this school that he had walked away scathed.

It would be all over the school by now -- Awed freshman passing notes about how the gorgeous, invincible, cute, tall, purple-eyed, god-ranked... (Envy smiled dreamily), completely sexy and untouchable senior had finally gotten hit. And hospitalized!

And his fan club would start putting bets on how soon it would take for Envy to ask Ed out and then break his delicate-as-an-infant-bird heart like the bad ass he was! (That's what all the fan girls wanted to see -- majestic Envy sleeping with a sharp-tongued, strong-willed, rage-filled and _secretly_ vulnerable, loyal, soft-hearted shorty who broke through the ice with a punch to his shoulder!)

He laughed maniacally, drawing the attention of the others in the vehicle, who looked like they were going to recommend some medication to remedy hallucinations for him.

He let his cotton-candy purple eyes fall to the stunted-growth boy who was spread across the stretcher as if sleeping. Edward Elric's sun-dark Asian cheek was pressed to the fabric stretcher, pink lips relaxed from their earlier frown, slightly parted and so inviting. The golden blond braid draped slightly over the edge of the surface, mussed from their fight.

Ed had been blessed with a sleek, alluring throat despite the shortness of his limbs. His palms, flat against the table, were strong and broad; his fingers were blunt but slender. They had opened the white-rimmed, black jacket he was wearing to allow him to breath easier, and the tank top beneath hinted at a toned abdomen.

Envy was grateful that, despite being very under average in height, Ed boasted very nice legs. Which were given a pleasant illusion of length from the highlighted black leather pants.

He sighed contentedly.

But the part of Edward that he liked the best were those fierce, molten hot and spark-spitting yellow eyes hidden beneath the silvery-gold fringes of eyelash.

It was maybe the reason he was still here. He wanted to see those eyes open again and that strength show through, touching him like warm waves of radiating heat. Maybe there would be anger too, but the blazing passion was addictive. Envy couldn't recall the time he had last seen raw human ambition in such heaping amounts.

No lust for power, just a want for life. Strange.

There wasn't a warning as they pulled into the circular drive in front of the hospital. Envy exited and pushed his hands into his pockets, contemplating the soaring white walls and glowing windows, most which were paired with closed blinds.

It was odd to be in the outside world during his morning classes.

When a standard black haired, black eyed nurse saw that he was completely unhurt, save that unhealed bruise, she told him he could go. When he refused, she thrust an ice pack on him and hurried off.

Several hours later, after his interaction with Edward, and nightfall which signaled the end of visiting hours, Envy walked home. (Lust had doubtlessly hotwired his car in order to get home herself.)

Well, he mostly walked. After the first mile, he got bored with walking and frustrated by his mushroom cloud of tangled thoughts, and took to sprinting along purple-shadowed rooftops until he arrived at his mother's mansion.

With the last tendrils of a billowing wind still echoing promises of freedom softly near his eardrum, and clawing fingers of lipstick tinged autumn through his hair, he walked confidently through the front doors.

He was met by Dante, his mother, in the front hall. Her eyes blazed with fury to completely consume and eradicate the threat of Edward's.

He hissed as she fisted a hand in his hair and rendered him to his knees; she jerked his head back to expose his chalk pale throat, and spoke to him in his harsh German mother-tongue:

"I've had enough of you senselessly attacking people, my Envy. You are putting us all in danger," she gave him a good shake with her words, and Envy snarled a command for her to let go of him. Turning hate-bright eyes to the doorway, he was unsurprised to find Greed there, looking smug, and Lust there, looking... carefully emotionless. Which usually meant that she was concerned, but resigned.

"Don't fight me! Every time you leave a fight, people wonder why you are never hurt, you with your soft European skin! Why you are not bruised! I _said,_ don't fight me!" When he managed to twist his head out of her superhuman grip, peek up with unveiled hatred, and yank a fist back in order to strike her, she revealed a curved blade from the folds of her dress.

She slit his thigh deeply to confirm that her aim was right, giving him pause, and then she plunged it into the wine-red Ouroboros tattoo. He would have shrieked in pain, had he not been prideful enough to bite his tongue... Hard enough to draw blood, and send a stream of it trickling down his chin as he curled into her and lifted a shaking hand to rest submissively on her shoulder.

The back of his neck was exposed in a silent plea for mercy, but she ignored it.

"You've disobeyed me one too many times, my eldest son." She hissed darkly, her voice promising pain as she twisted the knife and received a soft, uncontrolled whimper in response.

Lust shifted and extended her talons to sever Greed's head from his neck, then proceeded to drag his twitching body from the doorway to spare Envy the humiliation of having an audience for his 'punishment.'

Keeping a good grip on the handle of the knife, and plunging her free hand again into the nest of dreads, she jerked the paralyzed boy to his feet. He leaned heavily back against her and she pushed him back towards the front door.

Her heels echoed hollowly against the pavement. They stalked the length of the sprawling manor, curling around the backside of it where flowers beautiful enough to be poisonous waved invitingly, and roses withdrew fearfully into the thorny embrace of forest-green bushes. Crickets sung and fireflies hovered close to the ground, completely oblivious and unaffected even by the rosy blood that poured in generous amounts across thick, black, ruined, wet denim to smatter their armored shell-hard backs.

Envy felt his body screaming, desperately rejecting the blade that was wedged into his own personal Achilles heel, trying to heal around the steel, trying to support his weight, keep him conscious.

He was built to be invincible, modified for endless endurance, heightened tolerance for pain, untapped venues of strength and reserves of adrenaline.

But Dante would always know how to render him helpless, use his own body against him. He whined throatily -- he _hated_ pain, even if he _was_ invincible. He hated _broadcasting_ his pain.

It was like being a peaceful, slightly perturbing but generally just overlooked snowy channel on the television, and then have somebody push an oven into your space, melt off the snow, and force claret shapes of dull misery to the forefront.

A horror movie! A spectacle for the morbid fascination of everybody!

Blearily, he recognized the house-sized garage steeped in the close distance. A part of him seized up with terror and foreboding; a part of him rejoiced at the closeness of their destination. Mostly, he was disgusted at himself for crying.

Indeed, crystal clear tears bubbled over green-caked lashes, turning artsy black frames for his spring-violet eyes into running rivers of melancholy colored eyeliner.

Dante forced Envy to his knees again, on the solid cold floor.

She released her hold on the dagger, but Envy's thoughts were so muddled that he had only begun to think of fumbling to remove the blade before she had returned.

A blurry red... large... shape.

That was all he was able to deduce before he felt the cool trickle of poison, stinking liquid -- gasoline, creating dirty stains on his alabaster skin.

He gasped, and then let out a keening noise when she splashed it mindfully over the place where his skin sucked on a steel blade.

When his mouth opened, she took the opportunity to douse his _throat._ He choked, gagged, STRUGGLED WITH SUDDEN ABANDON -- hating the sting in his eyes, his nose, the small channels of filth zigzagging into the funnel of his ears. He flailed, hating that his movements felt sluggish and miscalculated -- even though she made sure he was unbound, untouched. Free.

Never free.

It seemed to last forever, before the BURNING BLAZING STINGING AGONIZING FUCKING GALLONS OF LIQUID PAIN slowed to the torturous trickle of rain in the gutter, after the storm.

And then the fire started.

Choking on bile and gasoline, he curled over, weeping as flames took his body -- Dante yanked the blade from his thigh and his senses immediately became unclogged... And smoky --

The tattoo would take longer than any other part of his body to heal, and as all his energy was directed to re-stitching that puckered bloody bright wound, layers of skin withered and melted away. _He could not heal fast enough._

He shrieked in rage and agony as everything was consumed -- Skin, blood, the marrow on his bones, his bones, his organs his breath his eyesight his tongue as it curled towards cold air, his fucking gorgeous ropes of envy-hued hair.

--

The icy slush tasted like blue heaven. He _loved_ it. He watched Edward, all brown skin, topaz eyes, corn silk hair, black-clad legs stretched out like summer, and tongue caressing a lollipop red straw.

The only part of his body that still burned was the fucking tattoo. (And his pride, and his temper. But those weren't quite as tangible.) He favored his left leg, because it felt vaguely numb.

He bantered easily, crazily, lightheartedly and hyperactively and innocently and affectionately (God forbid) with the boy who had, after all that, won the fight, and decided that if Edward asked about it, he would say that his _parent_ (insert dripping, fiery red resentment here) didn't give a _damn_.

--

**AN**: Let's see! This is a surprise, right?! XD I must admit, I intended to have a plot from the beginning... But I didn't intend to even hint about it until there was a whole mountain of fluff before it! But now you have an Envy-torture chapter... How unexpected! :D I hope it's alright! :D

Now, here's some trivia: I never listen to music while I write! Isn't that weird? It's because it usually just distracts me. XD I slow down because I have to concentrate on the words or sing along or look up lyrics... It also seems to manipulate me... XD For example, I broke my habit and began to listen to "Drops of Jupiter" by Train for the first part of the story, and all I could think was that I should rename the whole story "Drops of Jupiter" because it was just the same sort of style and feeling that I am trying to exemplify! Then I thought, "Rainiy," (because I don't really go by AiVixen most of the time... :D) "That does not make sense at all!" So then I started writing the Envy getting set on fire scene, and it made me think of "Beautiful Oblivion" (or "Inside Out," take your pick XD) by Eve 6, and it took ALL MY WILLPOWER not to write that Envy "burned like a wicker cabinet." -grins!- Now I feel like listening to MCR's "This Is What They Do To Guys Like Us in Prison," just for the part where it goes "DO YOU HAVE THE KEYS TO THE HOTEL? CAUSE I'M GONNA SET THIS MOTHERFUCKER ON FIRE!" (I think that's the lyric... :3 ) Do you see what I mean? :3 (I hope I'm allowed to say that... XD This fiction is rated 'R' after all XD; )

Here's the important part of this note! :D I don't know too much about Fullmetal Alchemist, really. I've read through only Volume 7... And only seen the first three or four DVD's worth of episodes... So here are the pieces that will probably be completely my own imagination!:

The Homunculi! They still heal and have their powers, but they obviously have a weakness where the Ouroboros tattoo is concerned... :3 This is because I don't know about the significance of the Ouroboros in canon... :3 Also, Dante is probably off! (And she's a little bit superhuman herself) -- I know this is probably off, but I need it to be this way! ;o; (I've only read about Father, so I hardly know anything about Dante... And I don't know what makes Ed important to the Homunculi, or what they're after... So I'm making it up! XD This doesn't sound like the usual me, but please don't spoil the series for me! ;o;

I won't mention too much else, but also know that the Homunculi aren't the result of failed resurrections... :3

Please continue to **R & R,** your feedback is so appreciated! :D


	4. An Unexpected Visit!

_It was the type of light which filtered through tightly closed blinds without an ounce of remorse, and dyed the back of Edward's eyelids neon orange._

_He groaned loudly and threw an arm over his face, unwilling to wake. However, his fight proved to be in vain once Winry stomped by the door, and yelled out in a shrill, crabby voice, "Ed! You have to wake up __now!_"

He had spent the previous night sprawled out on the roof, contemplating life and the world and the progression of years -- which was quite unlike him, really. He was the type of intelligent boy who took a certain amount of time to solve a problem (and only when it was necessary,) put the knowledge to use, and then stored it away with decisiveness; much like one might store a book in a library, or blow the ink dry before closing a page into the folds of a journal. He did not... Muse.

_Especially_ on serious things which were unpleasant to think of, so it made Winry angry! Ed was the strong one who took action with surety, and never had a forlorn look on his face afterwards! He was supposed to be confident in his decisions, and never pause to take a breath or let a stray thought gnaw at his consciousness -- he was constantly in motion, taking action to create trouble or resolve it! It worried her when he was so withdrawn!

... When he didn't budge from his position on the bed, she took the liberty of fetching a wrench and trudging back to hurl it at his head.

He let out a yowl and tumbled from his nest of mussed blankets, landing hard on the floor before bellowing: "WINRY! _What in hell was that for?!_"

She pursed her lips tightly together -- tighter than the blinds through which steady yellow sunshine poured in ribbons across the floor -- and, because the words she wanted to say couldn't be coaxed from her throat, she stomped away from his door ranting at him.

"_Just because you got yourself kicked out of school before your first day even started, _doesn't_ mean you get to just sleep all day!"_ She fumed.

He paused for only a brief moment, hearing the anxiety behind her voice from years of becoming familiar with it, but chose to respond only with this:

"Are you still angry at me for confronting Envy?!"

She didn't respond, storming out of the house and slamming the door behind her. Ed thought for a moment of simply crashing on the lacquered wooden floor with the sun on his back, to sleep for a couple more hours, but his head had begun to throb and he decided an ice pack sounded infinitely more alluring.

He rose up onto his forearms and knees, a sigh lifting a few strands of shimmering gold as he enjoyed the contrast between smoldering hot morning light on his shoulder blades, and the wood which kept the memory of cool moonlight tucked into its deep mahogany designs beneath his hands...

He shuffled by Granny on his way downstairs; she gave him a level look, judging his mental and physical health with a firm once-over.

"Did she throw a wrench at your head?" She asked patiently, sucking strong-smelling, soothing tobacco from her pipe. It filled his head and he managed an honest grin as he passed her, slouching, one hand flattened against the growing bump.

"Yeah, she did." He chuckled, managing _not_ to sound like he was going to murder the offending blond as soon as she turned up at home at the end of the day.

"If you keep acting in this bizarre way, young man," he knew a threat when he heard it, and it caused his topaz eyes to waver upwards to lock on hers questioningly, "then I shall have to throw a wrench at you, too."

"... Yes, Granny." He managed through clenched teeth, chewing on a plethora of possible responses, explanations, heartfelt apologies, confessions... Speechlessness.

He hurried downstairs and retrieved an ice pack. It burned against his crown. He slipped down to crouch against white wooden cabinets, atop cold plastic flooring -- which would hold the coldness of last night hostage for perhaps the rest of the day.

When his head was sufficiently numbed, he scrambled up the steps and threw on the first clothes he could get his hands on; blue denim jeans ('Oh my god, I really have lost the will to live!' He thought wryly, finding humor in the fact that he might possibly have just unearthed the single pair of blue denim jeans that he owned,) and a navy blue, nondescript, long-sleeved shirt.

He donned a pair of weathered sandals and fled the house.

...

He chuckled around a familiar, vibrant red straw. "A year ago, I was using this money to attend classes taught by some of the world's most brilliant minds." These words were directed at the small white receipt that flapped buoyantly between his fingertips. In bold black font, the "MONSTER RED DRAGON SLUSH" was listed beside a less daunting "150yen." (1.40 USD)

"Because of you, my grant money is getting sucked away. Down a cheap red straw. Into my stomach, and in a few hours, right back out of my stomach through the body's natural processes..."

He lowered himself onto the sun-warmed sidewalk, placing an arm over his eyes in a dry parody of his earlier actions upon waking up.

Soon, a voice interrupted his musings:

"Hey, O'chibi-san," the voice sounded faintly familiar. An annoying, incessant, confident, smooth-as-silk drone. His eyes snapped open, but he literally flinched at the onslaught of light -- even the figure darkened by rich shadows provided little sanctuary.

At 149 to a maximum of 152 million kilometers from the Earth's surface, and a diameter of 12,753 kilometers, the enormous sun would not be held back by Envy's thin frame.

"Envy, _what the fuck are you doing h--_" He hissed, sitting up and flinging a hand over his brow to shade his flaring yellow irises, but he was interrupted before he could finish:

"Do you always mutter to yourself when you're alone? And can't you get arrested for flaking on the sidewalk like that?" The green-haired teenager asked cheerily, plopping down beside his similarly suspended... Soon-to-be-classmate, but for now, just another rebellious youth in Risembool. "I think it's safer for your mental health if we stick together."

Enormous, jeweled purple eyes winked like moonlit ocean waves at him, promising the secrets of the world if he dove a bit deeper.

But he was tired of fighting for understanding, for paying the toll on some 'wonderful' discovery. He was tired of _fucking secrets_. And he was out of oxygen; he couldn't afford to dive any deeper. It was risky enough floating here like a stagnant fish.

He shut his eyes, shaking off the charm like a pup shakes off bathwater, and growled out, "Are you following me, you insufferable prick?"

"You won't be deterred, will you?" Those laughing eyes pinned his soft tanned face, despite the fact that Ed refused to meet them with his own. "This is a famous convenience store, you know. Everybody knows that the best cold confections are offered here, and at such a low price!" Envy slapped his hands out behind him against the sidewalk, and spread his legs forward across the asphalt -- continuing to grin mischievously.

Ed's eyes snapped open abruptly and, as soon as Envy got comfy, he aimed a curled fist at his face.

"Don't tease me!" He snarled, though he yanked his hand back without much ado when Envy caught the punch and pushed it away, cool as a cucumber.

As a matter of fact, it would have been more surprising to him if he had managed to hit the other boy. That bothered him. And it bothered him that he would attack a kid who had put him in the hospital, confident that his fist wouldn't land, and confident that he'd walk away from the offense in one piece.

His brother had always said he was too careless when it came to taking care of himself.

And this is what Roy had said: "You're the type of kid who doesn't mind getting the shit beat out of him, but when it comes to your brother or somebody you love, you'll fight to the death before you let them sustain any injury. _Standard hero type_."

_A flick of the wrist sent a haze of burning red tobacco down to the white pavement, which would leave a black stain when Roy instinctively smeared it out._

"Edo?" The singsong, questioning voice brought him back to reality, but it took him a moment of staring into the twirling-like-purple-fire eyes before he responded furiously -- angry that he'd been caught daydreaming, and had probably spaced something Envy had said.

"You're putting me in a bad mood. Why are you always here?!" Despite the angry register of his voice, he could hear the waver of an imminent breakdown, like the walls of a conch shattering one by one until it wouldn't be able to produce another sound.

Ed realized that Envy's eyes were not only the windows to his soul, but to his brain. He saw the gears begin to turn because of the rain in his own voice; saw the fan speed up and switch directions; the small universe tumble in double time behind tinted contact lenses; and a demon under that ocean sighed heavily, sending an explosion of bubbles to the shimmering purple surface.

His own glare intensified, but _Envy_ was blessedly merciful.

"So, anyway, O'chibi-san," a sea green lock flopped in his face, and a grin that was filled with bright white teeth and now-familiar, sunrise red tongue revealed itself shamelessly to the still-early day. He pointedly ignored the barb. "You didn't buy me one?!"

Ed could get lost in those eyes.

He let out an exaggerated, self-pitying sigh (hoping to hide the rattling cracks in his resolve,) and...

Popped the plastic dome off his cup, before sliding the second cup (which had been sheathing the first) down and away. They stuck together for a moment, a layer of sticky ice and water between them, and then released.

Ed shot Envy a glower, daring him to comment -- Even as the childish teen clapped his hands delightedly, as if Edward had performed a magic trick.

"It's because I overfilled mine." He sniffed stubbornly, pouring half of what remained of his drink into the other boy's. "It's not because I was thinking of you, so don't get the wrong idea. And don't complain because it's sticky or anything."

Envy shook his head in agreement and accepted the drink, taking a deep swallow and almost downing the entire thing. Ed looked on with unconcealed shock, imaging the way it would burn down his throat.

Envy grinned and shuffled to his feet.

"Come on, kiddo," He danced away a few short steps, and it was only when he looked up at the mellow sunlit scene, Ed noticed that Envy was wearing denim shorts -- frayed at the edge which was located several inches above the knee, and way too tight for any respectable male to consider wearing.

His eyes were drawn back to Envy's when that cool velvet voice splashed over him again -- "We've already been here before, so we have to hang out somewhere new! Don't worry, I have movie tickets!"

A Cheshire grin from the more devious misfit, and then...

"_Who are you calling so small that even a dust bunny would need a magnifying glass to see him with?"_ Ed spouted out, forgetting momentarily that the bastard was his 'sworn enemy.' He blushed furiously upon realizing his reaction, and tried to cover it up with another retort: "And why are you wearing clothes like that? Don't you respect yourself at all? Do you even like girls?"

"Don't mock my sexuality, Edo!" Envy laughed as he bounced backwards: "I'll make you see it my way by the end of it!"

Ed blinked after him, the look of a miffed -- but somehow still angry -- cat glowing like hot metal in his eyes.


	5. A Horror Story With a Happy Ending!

"What the hell happened to your _real__ car??"_ Ed gasped, frozen in shock. The sun dribbled rays of light and heat down onto the shiny black motorcycle, mocking him.

It wasn't that he was afraid of motorcycles -- It was that he didn't quite trust Envy's driving skills, and if he fucked up while they were on a motorcycle, it could have much more permanent damage than if they were in a car!

"You sure swear a lot when you're in a bad mood, Edo!" Envy giggled happily, seeming to relish in the moments where he got a big response from Ed. (Of course, this wasn't unusual -- most of Ed's responses were big; it was when he was in a quiet mood that Envy liked to snap him out of it...!)

"I am _not_ getting on that _thing_ with _you_." Ed grumbled stubbornly, crossing his arms and cocking a hip.

"You look cute when you do that!" Envy grinned, pushing up close to Ed so that their noses were almost touching and Ed had to resist the urge to go cross-eyed. Of course, it was only so that Envy could thrust the spare helmet onto his head. "Now, you just have to hold on tightly to these and not let go! (The last time I kept something important in my back pocket while I was riding this, I lost it!)"

"... We're going to see a horror movie...? (That's because your pants are too small, you dumb ass!)"

"Is O'chibi-san afraid of scary movies?!"

"No! I was just wondering! Why are you such a moron?!"

"Simmer down, shorty, or else you'll die from glaring so much!"

"That's not possible! ... Hey, I said I'm not going with you on this, okay?!"

"Don't worry, I haven't crashed for quite some time!"

"Quite some--!"

...

They might have been the only teenagers on the road, looking like a rock star with his bright green dreads whipping out from beneath a smooth black helmet, and either his very short boyfriend or a petite girlfriend clutching on to him, maybe dressed in his old clothes. (One couldn't tell, because a face was hidden by the helmet, and longer hair was becoming popular among boys, too.)

Loose blue denim fluttered against tight blue denim, navy blue cotton above a royal purple tank top. The street blew away beneath their wheels. The wind was cold enough against their bodies that it might have been evening.

"You see, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Those were the first words that Envy said once they reached their destination: A towering, ancient movie theatre.

In the front was a sign that might light up at night, but for now it was dim and yellow.

"TATTOO" was playing at noon, and that was the movie they were going to see.

"You drive like a fucking maniac," Ed grumbled, but there was no malice in his voice. Now that the helmet was removed, his hair looked wildly unkempt -- like a whole pile of twisted corn silks, or a cat brushed backwards.

"I try!" Envy struck a pose, and he was wearing so little clothing that it seemed that his pale skin never ended. Ed paused --

"You have a tattoo," he pointed out, eyelashes flickering in surprise. Was Envy even old enough to have a tattoo? He himself was only sixteen... But, then, he had skipped a grade. Maybe Envy could be eighteen.

Envy seemed uncomfortable at the observation, tensing slightly and not responding as quickly as he was wont to do.

"... Yeah, I do! I've had it for a while." He laughed -- uneasily.

"I thought you were seventeen -- Maybe eighteen." Ed wondered aloud, sounding surprised. He took a step closer and leaned down to get a good look.

"Nah," Envy admonished weakly, losing his confidence as Ed came closer. It felt to him sort of like a great heat or a great frost was descending on his thigh -- That was because the skin was so sensitive, human breath felt like a white hot blizzard.

"I'm nineteen," he corrected the smaller boy, trying to sound cocky and loudmouthed, "I fell behind a year, because I came from Germany."

"Germany?!" Ed was so surprised to hear that Envy had been to Europe that his index finger descended suddenly on the red dragon, and the green-haired boy let out a yelp as he sprang back. Ed responded in kind --

"What was that for?!" He exclaimed, clutching at his own heart as if the motion would slow its rapid beat.

"Sorry -- You startled me. Your hands are cold!" Envy laughed, spinning away from the kid and more or less bounding towards the front doors. "Now, hurry up, or I won't buy popcorn!"

Edward followed hesitantly, still looking for all he was worth as if he had just swallowed a large wad of gum. He pressed a hand against his cheek and felt that it was pleasantly warm.

...

Edward was the picture of perfect control: He sat straight in the cushioned red chair, his hands fisted on his knees, and it looked like he was grinding his teeth together.

"Edo, either you've never relaxed once in your life, or you're scared shitless." Envy looked up at him with unadulterated glee, his dahlia hued eyes sparkling happily. Sardonically, Ed noted that this would probably be the only time he'd be taller than Envy; it was because the older teen was slouched low in the seat, his feet (bulky black skater shoes included) crossed primly on the seat to the front and left of him, bucket of popcorn teetering dangerously on his exposed belly. (As it turned out, he wasn't wearing anything under the cotton jacket. 'It's practically summer vacation again! Who wears _clothes_ during summer vacation??')

"Why don't you just watch the godda--" He grumbled in irritation, then clamped down abruptly on every nerve in his body that tried to jump as the (indeed, dramatically tattooed) antagonist jumped out of nowhere and, (to the protagonist's escalating horror,) lobbed the female lead's head off. "... goddamned movie." He finished dryly, remaining tensed in his seat.

Envy, to his credit, didn't respond for a moment, instead watching the chase commence -- Of course, the main character got away.

They were only twenty minutes in.

"..." Envy glanced up at Edward to see if he was really watching the movie, admiring the cast of the ghostly blue light on the blonde's drawn features.

"Hey, Edo..." He began, but was cut off by a _huge, growling_ sigh.

"This is why I didn't want to come to a movie with you! Can't you shut up for a single second?" Ed snapped, shooting a vicious glare down at his companion.

Envy blinked once, twice. "Oh. Sorry, Edo." He clasped his long fingers around the tub of popcorn and tried to focus on the image moving across the screen. He crossed and un-crossed his ankles. He ate a piece of popcorn.

Finally, he slid to his feet, using his hands to keep the popcorn balanced. He began to take a step over and around Ed, and then he suddenly felt a clammy cool hand slap against his muscled (still bare,) stomach. He glanced down in surprise, his hand reflexively covering Ed's. The boy was glaring at him accusingly, the barest hint of raw terror causing his eyes to dilate.

"Where do you think you're going?" The blond whispered urgently, a silent plea coming through his guarded yellow eyes.

_'Just to the restroom, O'chibi!'_ Is how Envy would have responded, if the tattooed fiend didn't make an unexpected entrance, scaring the wits out of the main character in a dark alley... And causing everybody (within and outside of the movie) to SHRIEK so loudly that Envy spun around to face the screen, lost his balance, and fell backwards into Ed's lap.

The blond in question (who might possibly have bit his tongue off to keep from making a noise) wrapped his arms around the green-haired boy almost immediately, forgetting himself as he pushed his face against the cotton of Envy's unzipped jacket.

When the moment passed, Envy gently struggled out of Ed's arms, standing -- But he turned to pull the smaller one up against him. "I'm too big to sit on top of you, you know." He winked one big, purple eye, grinning raunchily and waiting for Ed to remember himself.

Promptly, Ed's face flooded with cherry red -- whether from embarrassment or fury, though, was anybody's guess. He extricated himself from Envy's secure grasp, but followed him out of the theatre grudgingly, unwilling to watch the horror story unfold by himself. (They were followed by groans and hissed insults, to which Ed responded with a scathing glare, and Envy by flicking a strand of forest green over his shoulder, pausing to pose, and then moving on again with no pride lost.)

In the cool, loud relief of the lobby, Ed exploded.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He raised his voice, gaining attention from all passerby as he stepped up to his companion and leaned up in a futile attempt to rise to Envy's height.

Envy, in return, blinked lazily (in mock confusion.)

"What do you mean, Edo?" He grinned, bringing his hands up in a gesture of innocence. He backed up -- in the direction of the restroom, and before Ed could have a fit, disappeared within.

Ed stared after him for a moment, hawk gold eyes ablaze with passionate fury, and then decidedly stomped in after him. The door swung closed behind him, his still-sweaty fingertips leaving smoky crescents smeared across the clean brass handle.

The taller boy before him glanced over his shoulder -- not more than a few steps ahead of him and not yet positioned before a urinal. Swimming purple eyes were bright with curiosity and surprise and excitement. (Envy loved surprises.)

His fingers clenched as he squared his shoulders and marched forward a few steps, something concentrated and intense radiating from every fiber of his being. (It may have been anger, though even Ed couldn't hold such a large grudge over an innocent stumble for quite this much time.) Envy had the grace to feint backwards a few steps, though the slowly growing smile on his face suggested that perhaps it was just to make it that much easier for Ed to push him 'threateningly' against the cold white tiles (which smelled strongly of cleaning chemicals.)

He certainly wasn't frightened of the midget, in any case.

Ed's hands slammed into the smooth, delicate curve of Envy's collarbone, and a small "huff" sound escaped the taller's parted lips as he was driven backwards with unanticipated strength. His smile turned tight, because as much as he enjoyed the blonde's antics, he _very much hated _pain.

"You're stronger than you look, you know, o'ch--"

"Don't say stupid things!" Ed exploded, tipping his head downwards so he could glare menacingly up at his dreadlocked companion. "Why do you keep on doing things like all of this? Who do you think --"

Envy's hands shot out with the same flying grace as they did when he fought, but instead of impacting on the petite boy's skin, they locked firmly on his hips, drawing him infinitely closer; he slid one heel back to brace himself against the clean-smelling tile, even as his graceful neck

curved in a downward arc to allow petal-pink lips to meet -- one set smiling, one set shocked -- in the middle of a pressing kiss, like moonbeams crashing against a cresting wave.

--

AN: I'm so sorry for the lateness of this! v.v I have a lot of excuses...! :D Maybe I should include these on my user page, instead of here... But some of it is related... XD Actually, when I write this much, I forget the important things... -glances away with shame-

Among my excuses are these! I spent two weeks with my dad in another state! :D I've decided to get a suntan this summer! :D So we played at the lake quite a bit. :3 Also, I've been working more since I came back, at my job... :D Mom says I should save money, but I'm getting tired of living a frugal life... ! I'm thinking of buying a Photoshop program, like Adobe Photoshop CS3, or a tablet, or a drawing table, or a set of Prismacolor markers! :D Does anybody have recommendations? :3 I was told that PrismaColor, Copic, and also another brand of marker that I can't remember -- Are all about the same, just made in different countries! -starry eyes- Is this so?! Can an artist recommend their favorite to me? :3 Also, with the Photoshop program, which one is the best, CS3 or CS2? I haven't actually been trained... -doom!- Is OpenCanvas a good program, too? As for a tablet, I really want to buy a laptop with a built in tablet, but right now my laptop works nicely, so maybe just a separate tablet would be fine... What is your favorite brand? :D

Ah -- I'm sorry for getting off topic! T.T As for these two chapters, I posted them simultaneously partly out of guilt, and partly because I feel that the chapter before this is very similar to the other slushy scene. XD I feel that it was a cute moment worth including, but rather repetitive as a stand alone. (I'm afraid guilt had almost nothing to do with it! XD ) I was having trouble writing this chapter. It's because I don't like writing out of character, but in situations like these, it's impossible for me to get the characterization just right. T.T Please forgive me! I'm trying my best!

My final excuse is that I've been 'FANDOM HOPPING.' XD Are you familiar with this? I watched Yami no Matsuei while on vacation, and was obsessed for a week or so, and then I started rereading my old Inuyasha fanfictions, and also fell in love with that series again... XD Now, I'm reading Sasunaru doujinshi so much, it's hard to get my brain back to FMA! XD What's terrible, is that I was listening to the ending song "Indelible Sin" today, and I still managed to think of Naruto during it... XD; WHAT? WHY? XD

**Please read and review, kind readers! **Also, **I'm not sure if my humble opinion is worth anything** :3 But I want to recommend a Roy x Ed fanfiction writer to you! :D I wouldn't recommend her work if I didn't feel that it's very sophisticated and well-written, with a very respectable and well-spun beauty. :D (Even though she's my friend, I won't lie to you about the quality of her works! :3 )

Her screen name here is** Taranova Xonson** -- My favorite work that she's written is called "**Fallen**," which is very unique and dark and AU-ish. :D It's something that I like, so I hope you enjoy it. Also, she has a longer fiction called "Blue," but I haven't had a chance to read all of it... :D I trust that it's equally good. ;3

Please support good writers on this website! :D And... If you have a fiction recommendation for me, I'll be happy to read works that you think are superb, too! :D

(I'm sorry that this note is so long! T.T Maybe it's okay since I didn't write anything last time...? XD Anyway, I hope all is going well with your life!)


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